Hooded eyes are stunning, but if you’ve been frustrated trying to do your makeup, rest assured that it all comes down to technique. Hooded eyes require a different approach to eye makeup as the folded skin tends to make the eyes look a little droopy. If you use the same application method for other eye shapes, such as almond or rounded eyes, it can cause your eyes to look even smaller. Once you learn how to embrace and play up your hooded eyes, you’ll love experimenting with new makeup looks. Check out the best hooded eye makeup hacks to make your eyes pop!
What Are Hooded Eyes?
Hooded eyes are an eye shape where excess skin folds down from the brow bone to the lash line. It’s often associated with aging, but can also be due to genetics. Hooded eyelids can make the eyes appear smaller than they are and can give them a droopy appearance. An easy way to tell if you have hooded eyes is to look straight into a mirror with your eyes open. If the skin of your upper eyelid drops over your natural crease and sits closer to or on top of your lash line, that’s a hooded eye shape.
9 Hooded Eye Makeup Hacks
1. Use a Primer
Start with an eyeshadow primer to create a smooth and even base. Hooded eyes can easily cause makeup transfer onto the lids, and a primer will help your eyeshadow stay in place and prevent creasing. The Milani Eyeshadow Primer is lightweight, crease-proof, and all you need is a small amount to ensure your eyeliner and shadow looks last all day.
2. Be Strategic with Shadows
A mix of shimmery and matte shadows works wonderfully for hooded eyes. Since shimmery shadows reflect light, they make your eyes look bigger, so focus shimmery shades on the centre of the lid, the inner corner, and under the brow bone to brighten the eyes. Avoid shimmery eyeshadows on the hooded part of the eyelid, as they can accentuate the hood. Matte colours are great under the eyes and in the crease to create depth. Seamless blending is crucial when dealing with hooded eyes. Make sure to blend your eyeshadow shades thoroughly to avoid harsh lines.
3. Create a Subtle Wing
Winged liner works great for hooded eyes. Since this eye shape can sometimes appear weighed down or sleepy, by directing your wing upward and outward, you can create the look of a more awake eye shape. Just be careful not to go overboard with your liner. Rather than thickening your eyeliner across the entire lash line, focus on a subtle winged eyeliner look. Go as close to your lash line as possible with your eyeliner and create a tiny wing. This will elongate your eyes and draw attention upward.
4. 10 Amazing Hooded Eyes Tips & Tricks I Wish I Knew Sooner | Smitha Deepak
If you have hooded eyes, you need to check out this tutorial! She offers her 10 best tips and tricks for making your eyes look more open and defined. She also demonstrates what not to do for hooded eyes so you can see what a big difference her tips make. She uses products including the Haus Labs The Edge Precision Brow Pencil, the Haus Labs Eye Shadow Palette and the Cuticuter Lid Tape to lift your lids.
5. Avoid Heavy Eyeliner
Applying heavy eyeliner to both the upper and lower lash line can make the eyes look smaller. Opt for a softer, smudged line, which will make your eyes look bigger and more lifted, and also make your lashes look fuller. Use a pencil brush to slightly diffuse and smudge the liner to create a cohesive soft line.
6. Lash Love
Curling your lashes can make a big difference in opening up your eyes, especially when you have hooded lids. Apply a volumizing mascara to both your upper and lower lashes to further open up your eyes and make them appear larger. Tightlining your upper waterline can also make your lashes appear thicker and give the illusion of a fuller lash line.
7. ND Mini Master Class | How to Full Glam on Hooded Eyes | Natasha Denona
For a super glam look on hooded eyes, you’re going to want to watch this step-by-step tutorial. It’s packed with tricks for how to make light eyeshadow show on hooded eyes by creating a fake crease. She uses products including the Natasha Denona My Dream Eyeshadow Palette, a cream eyeliner, and individual lashes.
8. Maintain and Highlight Your Brows
Your brows go hand in hand with your eyeshadow look and are even more pronounced with hooded eyes. Keep them groomed and fill them in as needed. You can make your brows appear more arched by intensifying the highlighter underneath your brow bone, or use a light concealer to trace and shape your brows. Use quick flick motions to replicate the appearance of natural brow hairs, then use a spooly to blend and fluff your brows. The Maybelline Ultra Slim Defining Brow Pencil has a spooly attached!
9. Experiment with Falsies
False lashes can be a game-changer for hooded eyes, but be careful, because the wrong ones can pull hooded eyes down and make them look smaller. Try a fluttery mix with long lashes in the centre to lift and open up the eye in the middle. Or opt for half lashes that are longer at the ends to help elongate your eyes.
Hooded eyes are gorgeous and with these tips, you can use makeup to accentuate them in the most stunning way.
This post contains affiliate links.
Did you love these hooded eye makeup hacks? We’d love it if you shared this post on Pinterest!
Looking for more makeup tips and tricks? Make sure to follow our Beauty Board on Pinterest!
